Depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container

ABSTRACT

A depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container includes a double-walled contained accommodated in an outer casing, both being secured to a dispenser cap. The double-walled container includes an outer layer accommodating therein a flexible inner layer forming a collapsible bag in which a fluid product is contained. When the dispenser cap is depressed and actuated, the fluid produce is gradually pumped out of the container, which induces a negative pressure inside the inner layer by which the inner layer is collapsed toward the dispenser cap to completely expel the fluid produce out of the container with repeated actuation of the dispenser cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container, which comprises a container defined by inner and outer walls and accommodated in a casing that comprises a depress-to-actuate dispenser cap and is tightly coupled to the cap so as to allow continuous withdrawal of fluid received in the container by repeatedly depressing and releasing the dispenser cap, and also realizes multiple functions of control, including stable and constant-amount pumping, isolation from atmosphere for protection against oxidation, reversal flow prevention, and steady internal pressure, and also makes the container disposable, re-fillable, and no longer subject to regular shapes of bottles or cans.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Containers that receive and retain a product that can flow, such as a liquid or a gel, are often provided with a depress-to-actuate dispenser, which is operated in pneumatic manner. Heretofore, the dispenser has been maintained substantially the same configuration and construction as regular bottles or cans and no much modification has been done on the liquid dispenser. Similarly, the container, which is often of a cylindrical shape or a shape that allows for easy hand holding by a user, does not change much either.

A conventional example of the assembly of a dispenser and a container is given in FIG. 1 of the attached drawings. The operation of the dispenser is accomplished by depression of a saddle head to forcibly expel the fluid accumulated in an internal space of the dispenser and when the depressed saddle head is released, an internal vacuum is induced inside the dispenser, which in turn draws fluid from the container. In general, as show in the drawings, the depress-to-actuate dispenser comprises a head A1 forming a discharge opening and axially movable by actuation of depression, a cap A2 secured to an opening of the container, an accumulation chamber A3 defined inside the cap A2, a piston A4 movable with the head A1, a positioner A5, a spring A6, and a ball-based valve A7.

The piston A4 is mounted to the positioner A5 and both can be moved by the depression of the head A1 in a direction toward the container 1 (referred to as downward direction in the description) which the fluid to be pumped is reserved. The spring A6 supplies a returning force to the positioner A5 so that when the depression of the head A1 is released, the positioner A5 and the piston A4 are returned to the non-depressed position by the spring force of the spring A6. In the operation, the piston A4 serves to both expel the fluid out of the dispenser and draw the fluid into the dispenser from the container.

The chamber A3 is provided with ventilation holes A31 at a top wall thereof. When the piston A4 is moved in the downward direction, in which case the ball-based valve A7 is closed due to increase of internal pressure of the dispenser caused by the downward movement of the piston A4, any liquid, gas or fluid contained I the chamber A3 is forced out of the chamber A3 through the holes A31. When the depression is released and the piston A4 is moved in an opposite, upward direction back to the original, non-depressed position, a negative pressure or vacuum is induced inside the chamber A3, which in turn induces a suction force that draws fluid from the container into the chamber A3. At this time, the ball-based valve A7 is opened due to the reduced internal pressure of the chamber A3 to allow the fluid to move from the container into the chamber A3.

Further, downward movement of the piston A4 forces the fluid remains in the chamber A3 to move through a central bore A52 defined through a center post A51 of the positioner A5 and is then discharged through the opening of the head A1.

The piston A4 is fit over and mounted to the center post A51 of the positioner A5 in such a way that a limited relative displacement is allowed between the piston A4 and the positioner A5. Thus, when the piston A4 is moved in the downward direction with the positioner A5, a friction in the upward direction is induced between the piston A4 and an inside surface of the chamber A3 so that the piston A4 undergoes the limited relative displacement with respect to the positioner A5 to thereby open a gap between the piston A4 and the positioner A5 in communication with the central bore A52 through an opening defined in a wall of the center post A51. This, under the condition that the ball-based valve A7 is closed, allows the fluid residual in the chamber A3 to move out of the chamber A3.

When the piston A4 is moved with the positioner A5 in the upward direction, the gap between the piston A4 and the positioner A5 is closed, which seals the central bore A52 from the chamber A3 and the fluid inside the chamber A3 is no longer allowed to flow through the central bore A52. At this situation, due to the opening of the ball-based valve A7, the fluid inside the container is drawn into the chamber A3 through the ball-based valve A7.

Often, a dip tube (now shown) is connected to the ball-based valve A7 and extends deeply into the container to facilitate draw of the fluid inside the container into the chamber A3. In addition, a movable bottom A8 may be provided for movement toward the dispenser head A1 with the discharge of the fluid from the container so as to maintain proper internal pressure of the container.

The conventional dispenser, however, has disadvantages:

(1) The container that contains the fluid therein and coupled to the dispenser is often made of expensive material for appealing to general consumers. Such an expensive container, once running of the fluid contents, is simply disposed of. This is a great waste of material and also a heavy burden of expense. In addition, although a dip tube helps to pump most of the fluid contents of the container, it is yet difficult to completely pump all the fluid contents out of the container with the conventional assembly of dispenser head and rigid container.

(2) The movable bottom A8, although helpful in pumping, to the best extent, the fluid contents out of the container, requires precise machining or manufacturing tolerance, as well as assembly tolerance. This certainly heightens the manufacturing costs of the dispenser-and-container assembly.

(3) Further, the movable bottom A8 imposes a constraint of cylindrical shape, which limits the flexibility of design of the container. Consequently, marketability is subject to undesired limitation.

(4) With the fluid contents pumped out of the container, the internal pressure of the container is reduced, which must be balanced by introducing external air into the container in order to maintain the operability of the dispenser. The external air that is introduced into the container may cause undesired deterioration of the fluid contents by means of for example oxidation of components that are easy to oxide.

Therefore, it is desired to provide a depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated container that overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated container that comprises a double wall structure to realize stable and constant-amount of dispensing of fluid and complete discharge.

The double wall structure comprises an inner layer and an outer layer both made of flexible materials. The inner layer forms a flexible reservoir in which fluid contents, such as a liquid or a gel, are received. The outer layer is made of flexible plastics or can be made of materials that can be shaped. The inner layer forms an opening that is secured to an intermediate portion of the outer layer as a unitary container, for example by adhesives. The outer layer has an open end that is tightly attached to a dispenser cap so that when the dispenser is depressed and actuated to pump the fluid contents out of the flexible reservoir, the internal pressure inside the reservoir is reduced as compared to external pressure outside the reservoir and the inner layer is collapsed by the pressure difference to drive the fluid contents toward the dispenser cup until the fluid contents are completely discharged.

The double-walled container is attached to the dispenser cap by means of for example threading engagement of the outer layer with the dispenser cap and the pumping of the fluid contents inside the double-walled container is controlled by the dispenser cap. The dispenser cap can be of the known constructions so that pumping of the fluid contents of the double-walled container is exactly the same as the conventional devices and the applications of the present invention is widely extended.

In addition, the double-walled container can be disposed or retained in an outer casing, which is of great design flexibility for being not subject to constrains imposed by the operation requirement of the dispenser container and is thus made more consumer appealing. The double-walled container can be made disposable, while the outer casing be reserved to accommodate another completely-filled double-walled containers or for serving other purposes. This reduces the manufacturing costs of the manufacturers and the economic burdens of general consumers.

The double-walled container in accordance with the present invention is effectively to accommodate pressure variation between inside and outside the container and to induce desired change of pressure and shape of the inner layer to thereby realize functions of control including being stable, re-fillable, low costs, constant-amount pumping, isolation (from oxidation), reversal flow prevention, and stable external pressure. These advantages are described as follows:

Stable and constant-amount pumping can be realized by directly applying a negative pressure to reservoir defined in the inner layer so that direct and easy control can be realized and pumping of the fluid contents can be achieved in a substantially synchronous manner with the depression of the dispenser cap.

Since no air residue is present between the dispenser cap and the double-walled container, excellent isolation of the fluid contents from air is achieved, which effectively protects the fluid contents from deterioration of quality caused by oxidation.

The outer casing is separate from the double-walled container and is thus re-usable, while the double-walled container can be made disposable or re-fillable. The re-use of the outer casing saves the consumption of materials and the natural resources.

The double-walled structure allows the fluid contents contained inside the inner layer to be completely discharged by means of the change of shape (or collapse) of the inner layer due to variation of internal pressure with the pumping operation of the fluid contents.

To realize the objectives, in accordance with the present invention, depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container comprises a double-walled container accommodated in an outer casing, both being secured to a dispenser cap. The double-walled container includes an outer layer accommodating therein a flexible inner layer forming a collapsible bag in which a fluid produce is contained. When the dispenser cap is depressed and actuated, the fluid produce is gradually pumped out of the container, which induces a negative pressure inside the inner layer by which the inner layer is collapsed toward the dispenser cap to completely expel the fluid produce out of the container with repeated actuation of the dispenser cap.

The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional assembly of a dispenser cap and a bottle or container and also illustrating operation thereof as indicated by arrows;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partially broken, of the double-walled container of the present invention with the dispenser cap removed; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the double-walled container of the present invention, illustrating a complete discharging of the fluid contents inside the double-walled container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3, a depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a dispenser cap 1, a double-walled container 2, and an outer casing 3. The cap 1 is fit over a top end of the outer casing 3 and is retainer thereto by threading, which is realized by a cylindrical inner surface of a wall of the cap 1 forming an inner thread 11 that engages a corresponding thread formed in the top of the casing 3 so that the cap 1 is securely fixed to the casing 3 as a unitary member. The cap 1 also has a top wall (not labeled) from which an internal cylinder (not labeled) depends, forming an internal thread which an open end of an outer layer 22 of the double-walled container 2 engages. Alternately, the open end of the outer layer 22 may engage an external thread formed on an outer circumference of a suction assembly 10 of the cap 1. The former construction provides an engagement of the cap 1 with an externally-threaded end of the outer layer 22, while the later construction provides an engagement of the cap 1 with an internally-threaded end of the outer layer 22. Both constructions allow the double-walled container 2 to securely attach to the cap 1. Thus, the cap 1 is secured to both the double-walled container 2 and the outer casing 3.

Also referring to FIG. 4, the double-walled container 2 is received in the outer casing 3, and is made of flexible materials. Thus, the double-walled container 2 comprises an inner layer 21 that forms a flexible reservoir and an outer layer 22 defining a flexible interior space accommodating the inner layer 21. The outer layer 22 forms an open end, which is described above, forming an internal thread 221 that engages an external thread of the suction assembly 10 of the cap 1, as shown in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. The outer layer 22 can be shaped in any desired configuration for consumer appealing and advertisement purposes.

The outer layer 22 has an intermediate portion forming an inner circumferential surface 222 to which an open end flange 211 of the inner layer 21 is attached for example by adhesives to form a unitary member. A common interior space defined by both the inner layer 21 and an upper portion of the outer layer 22 serves to receive and retain a fluid product, such as a liquid and a gel, therein so that such a fluid product can be pumped out of the double-walled container 21 by the depression of the dispenser cap 1.

Also referring to FIG. 5, in the embodiment illustrated, the inner layer 21 of the double-walled container 2 forms a bag having an open top and a closed bottom. The bag is accommodated in the flexible outer layer 22 and is located at a position substantially corresponding to a lower portion of the outer layer 22 to form, together with the upper portion of the outer layer 22, an enclosed interior space for receiving the fluid product. When the dispenser cap 1 is depressed and actuated, a portion of the fluid product is pumped out of the container 2 and a negative pressure is induced inside the fluid-product-contained interior space of the container 2. In other words, the atmosphere pressure that surrounds the inner layer 21 becomes larger than the negative interior pressure of the container 2 thereby collapsing the inner layer 21 in the upward direction and making the inner layer 21 gradually approaching the suction assembly 10 until pressure balance between inside and outside of the container 2 resumes again. With the repeated depression and actuation of the dispenser cap 1, the inner layer 21 will eventually reach the suction assembly 10 and the fluid product originally contained inside the inner layer 21 is completely consumed.

The provision of the double-walled container 2 inside an outer casing 3 allows the outer casing 3 to be designed without consideration of pumping operation and thus the outer casing 3 can be of vivid and versatile designs. In addition, the double-walled container 2 can be both disposable and re-fillable. In disposing of a consumed container 2, the outer casing 3 can be kept for unlimited re-use for other purposes. Further, the flexible outer layer 22 of the double-walled container 2 can be formed with any desired shape and configuration, which ensures versatility of shaping the outer layer 22, and thus additional consumer appealing can be obtained, or advertisement can be realized.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 

1. A depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container comprising a dispenser cap, a double-walled container, and an outer casing, wherein the improvements comprise: the cap having a wall having an internal surface forming an internal thread engaging a corresponding thread formed in the outer casing to secure the cap and the outer casing together, the cap also having another thread that engages a corresponding thread formed in an open end of an outer layer of the double-walled container to secure the cap and the double-walled container together; the double-walled container made of flexible materials, comprising a flexible inner layer forming a collapsible interior space and a flexible outer layer forming the open end attached to a suction assembly of the cap, the outer layer having an inner circumferential surface to which an open end flange of the inner layer is secured so that the interior space of inner layer extends to a portion of the outer layer for receiving and containing a fluid product therein, the fluid product being pumpable out of the container through the suction assembly by pumping operation actuated by the dispenser cap; and the outer casing secured to the cap and defining an interior space for accommodating the double-walled container therein.
 2. The depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said another thread of the cap comprises an external thread that engages an inner thread formed in the open end of the outer layer of the double-walled container.
 3. The depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said another thread of the cap comprises an internal thread that engages an external thread formed on the open end of the outer layer of the double-walled container.
 4. The depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner layer of the double-walled container comprises a top open and bottom closed bag that is received in a lower portion of the outer layer so that the bag and an upper portion of the outer layer form the interior space for containing the fluid product.
 5. The depress-to-actuate pneumatically-operated double-walled container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer layer is shapeable. 